Almost Spring

Shadow or no shadow, I’ve got my eye on the prize: Spring. March 20, the first day according to my trusted At-A-Glance calendar. Whether there are still piles of snow on street corners or I’m still sporting a fleece-lined hat and mittens, somehow, just the mere thought of flowers soon abloomin’ sends a warmth right through me.

We are now four weeks past the New Year. How are your resolutions going? Still hitting the gym? Still forgoing a second helping at dinner? Still writing away on that novel? I hear ya. It’s not easy. Especially when the temperature is plummeting, snow is falling and all you’d really like to do is put on comfy sweats, read a good book (okay, watch The Americans) and snack. Like I said, I hear ya.

That’s why I’m not so concerned when New Year’s Resolutions have a way of slipping through my fingers. I joke and call winter “Fat Season.” Not really because of any extra pounds, but because it’s hard to get motivated to do anything when your toes are numb.

Which is why I love Groundhog Day. Aside from watching grown men in top hats tempt fate (and a bit off finger) by looking to a rodent to predict the weather, it’s a reminder that we’re almost there. Just six more weeks. And six is only one more than all the fingers on one hand. Somehow knowing that spring is around the corner perks me up, because for me, spring is not just a noun it’s a verb. Hearing that spring is coming actually puts a spring in my step. It encourages me to hit the gym in preparation for outdoor 30-mile bicycle rides. It pushes me to make plans with friends after weeks of winter hibernation, and it reinvigorates me to keep chugging along writing a new book. I bet Mother Nature feels the same way. Maybe she spends a week or two in Florida around the holidays, but now begins her busy season. Moving her production crew underground, she must prepare to get those leaves on the trees and flowers out of the ground on time.

But alas, it is still winter and we still have six more weeks of it. So until then, bundle up and smile because you know what? It’s almost spring.